


Three for the Living

by HazelBite



Category: Full Metal Alchemist
Genre: M/M, Multi, implied elricest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-05
Updated: 2012-06-05
Packaged: 2017-11-07 00:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/424660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelBite/pseuds/HazelBite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dedicated to Mandy, (papel_luna on LJ), as a belated birthday present and for playing a spectacular Ed to my Russell and who also planted the idea of this trio in my mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three for the Living

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed from Carmina Burana 'In The Tavern'.
> 
> Written for 30 kisses on LJ. Prompt #5: "ano sa" (hey, you know).

Ever since Ed's disappearance and Al's return to his own body, Russell felt a sort of brotherly duty to check up on Al from time to time. He had even made a point to visit Risembool once soon after the events at the cathedral and was shocked to find that Al's memory of his time with his brother was gone.

From then on whenever Russell made a visit, he continued to tell Al about the time when they had first met and their many interactions later on. Russell hoped that maybe it would help him remember.

And Russell thought that some part of it did help since Al had asked to be told more stories about their time together and, of course, Russell was happy to do so feeling that his friendship with Al was growing stronger than it had ever been.

But when Al began to show interest in the relationship between Ed and Russell, Russell wasn't sure where to draw the line.

Eventually, Al managed to get the truth out of him.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Al asked abruptly during one of Russell's more recent visits.

Russell was shocked into silence.

"I thought it might something like that, with the way you talk about him," Al continued, not looking surprised in the least.

Sounding choked up and not really caring if Al noticed, Russell finally managed to say, "I still do."

Al smiled sadly and said, "me too."

It was the second day into Russell's next visit when Al said to him one morning, "I see you sometimes. When I sleep."

"You remember me?"

Al shook his head. "I don't think they're memories."

"Why not?"

"Because in all of them I do this," Al said and then leaned up to give Russell a kiss, "we didn't have that before, did we?"

Russell could only shake his head numbly at Al's questioning look, unable to move even after Al had left for breakfast.

That evening, after much thought and internal anguish, Russell approached Al in the living room.

"What I had with your brother...I can't ruin that. I can't involve you."

Al looked up slowly from an old, worn book.

"We both miss him and until we find out how to get him back, why shouldn't we find comfort where we can?"

The inevitable excuses came up then, well rehearsed... you're his brother, you've lost your memory, you're not the same as you used to be...

But it felt as though Al could radiate calm and Russell found that he was comforted by it.

Al showed him the book he was reading.

"I found this weeks ago while going through some old things of mine," Al began. "My old journal, one I kept during those long nights when I didn't need to sleep, I guess," he shrugged, "they're my words, and even though I don't remember writing them, I still feel the same for you now that I obviously did then."

Al laid the journal aside and stood up.

"And that must be something that cannot be forgotten."

Russell felt that he should protest, that this was wrong, but something in Al's voice kept him quiet.

"But I knew how my brother felt about you and I decided that I wouldn't stand in the way because my brother needed you more than I did, and what use would a suit of armor be anyway?"

"Don't say that," Russell said, "you were – are – the most caring person I've ever met."

"I wrote all of that in my journal," Al smiled faintly, coming in closer to Russell, close enough to hear him breathe, "but everything is different now. Please, if I can't remember, help me make new memories?"

Russell felt that he had lost all control of his senses, his movements, and found himself responding to Ed's brother – no, to Al – in a way that he only ever had with...

Then all thought was lost and Russell fell inexplicably toward the light.

All too soon, Al disappeared as well and Russell found that he had lost two lovers in such a short amount of time. Two lovers who meant more to him than he thought they ever could.

And when Fletcher asked what was wrong and Russell told him, he did not see any look of anger or surprise from him. Only acceptance for his choices and regret for the holes in his brother's life that they had left behind.

Russell knew at that moment that there was at least one other person still in this world who cared for him and he felt ashamed for having forgotten this.

A few years passed and the ache began to slowly turn into numb acceptance. He threw himself even more into his work and only later would he realize that he did all his best work when he was trying to distract himself from the empty feelings he still carried.

So it wasn't really a shock, more of a falling into place, when the two appeared on his doorstep one morning in early summer. Both of them, older, smiling, happy and, most of all, glad to see him after all that time.

Al was the first to hug him and Russell hesitantly met Ed's eyes over Al's head.

Ed must have seen the worry because he nodded, smiled, and said, "Al told me everything."

"I was worried that you - " Russell began but was cut off as Ed reached up to pull him in for a kiss that he had so long missed. They lingered, unwilling to part now that they were finally together.

Next to him he heard Al say, "hey, you know... I told you once before that I loved you both."

"We feel the same way," Ed reassured him, leaning back with his usual grin that Russell could not describe how happy he was to see again. Russell nodded in relief.

They fell against each other then and through the door.

It had taken five years and countless journeys, but they had finally come back from that other world, had come back for him.

Sometime later, Russell woke to Al curled against his right side and Ed sprawled on his left, one arm draped across Russell's chest, skin to skin, and Al's breath light against his ear.

Russell couldn't help but think that of all the outcomes he had imagined since that awful, lonely stretch of time, this was the one he had never thought to hope for.


End file.
